A fight over chicken at a political gathering in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, has claimed the life of a young man, Eyo Nsa, who was reportedly stabbed to death by members of a cult —King Crackers.

It was gathered that a councillorship aspirant in Calabar South visited the ward’s secretariat at Gibson to signify his intention to contest and went with refreshment for members.

An eyewitness, Sylvester Effiom, said: “One of the boys was sharing the chicken, but the deceased (Eyo Nsa) didn’t wait for them to get to him before dipping his hand into the tray to take a portion, which infuriated the people at the gathering.

“An argument ensued, which turned into a fight. In the process, the deceased ran into their house and came out with a machete.

As he was running towards one of his assailants, he was stabbed on the upper side of his ribs, fell and started bleeding profusely.

“But because it was very late, there was no vehicle to convey him to the hospital so he bled to death on the spot.” Another source, who pleaded anonymity, alleged that the deceased “was a leader in the cult (King Crackers) and has refused to relinquish the position he was occupying.

“The squabble presented a perfect opportunity for them to kill him since he refused to hand over to another person. “The chicken sharing, which caused the quarrel, was just a smokescreen.

The main issue was a leadership position in the cult group; they know better. He was part of them. He was killed because he refused to hand over to someone else.”

When Vanguard visited the area yesterday, residents had deserted their homes for fear of being arrested for questioning.

Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Irene Ugbo, confirmed the incident, saying they were trailing the suspect.